Lady Gaga pledges $1M to hometown Sandy relief

WASHINGTON—Pop diva Lady Gaga, currently on tour in South America, pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross on Wednesday for victims of superstorm Sandy in her hometown New York.

“If it wasn’t for NYC: the Lower Eastside, Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn, I would not be the woman or artist that I am today,” she wrote on her Littlemonsters.com website.

“Thank you for helping me build my spirit,” she told the metropolis where she was born and raised. “I will now help you rebuild yours,” she added.

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Gaga, 26, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, said she was making the pledge on behalf of herself, her parents and sister.

A spokeswoman for the American Red Cross told AFP the charity has raised $103 million in donations and pledges in the aftermath of Sandy, which slammed into New York, New Jersey and other states on October 29.

Another storm bore down on the northeastern United States on Wednesday — not as powerful as Sandy, but still potent enough to add to the misery of thousands who remain without electricity, heating or homes.